Longford bodybuilder competing in Spain after previous setbacks

Orla Brady from Drumlish will be competing in the 2025 IFBB World Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships this weekend in Spain from November 13 - 17.

There has been months of hard work of preparation for Orla, who is also secretary of Ballinalee Connemara Pony Show. Her training schedule, which has brought challenges, saw her having to miss a competition in Tenerife in October, and she is now looking forward to competing in Santa Susanna, Barcelona.

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Orla will be competing in the Master’s 40-44 in the Body Fitness Category. This will be a bikini category with women within that age bracket.

“I'm nearly 43 so my body wasn't responding like in the past. It was quite tough to get the balance. Work was busy. Life was busy. We go up, do your routine and posing, and you’re on stage with the best athletes in the division, all around the world. Big stage, big venue, lots of lights and judges. It’s daunting but it’s the best stage in the world. You compete with the best of them.”

Describing how the duration onstage varies depending on the number of women involved, Orla says that a competitor can be up on the stage twice as the process is eliminated, so everyone’s routine is fairly judged. Eventually, it will reach the top 10.

“You’re called up together and then in sixes. You do your routine, go back, and get called out again. They’ll mix the rest up to make sure they haven’t missed anyone out. They’ll bring everyone out together,” she said about the process on how the routines work.

Having been on prep for six months, Orla, who is a sister of Senator Paraic Brady, says that she is most looking forward to the food and rest during her tenure in Spain. The diet has been restricted for 12 weeks leading up to this event, having been on bland foods. Nevertheless, the love for bodybuilding continues, as she plans on participating in the IFBB Mr Universe Portugal on December 3 as well.

With all the hard work going into making it into these competitions, Orla hopes that people will understand how much goes on behind-the-scenes:

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“You put your life on hold for four months for a competition. You avoid family functions, events. You can’t eat, can’t drink. They see the end result but not the sacrifice. It’s a challenge that people don’t understand.

“I train between 3 different gyms and people don’t see the hours and hours into training. They just think she looks great in her bikini. It’s a personal challenge for me, I’m not doing it for anyone else. All just for me.

“Every time on stage, you try to better the look based on feedback.”